Arsenal Looking For Their First Victory At Anfield

After two consecutive scoreless draws Arsenal will travel to Anfield to take on Brendan Rodgers new look Liverpool. The Anfield outfit has had an opening day loss and drew with champions Manchester City last weekend. Both teams are looking to get their campaign under way with three points.

Since the departure of Robin van Persie much has been said of the Gunners lack of attacking quality.
But it is easy to criticize the Gunners attack when you forget that both Stoke & Sunderland really played for a draw.

What has gone unnoticed is newly appointed assistant manager Steve Bould’s brilliant work to strengthen the Gunners back-line. Not only have Arsenal not conceded goals they have conceded very few shots at goal. However they are yet to face a better attacking opposition, with Luis Suarez looking to really trouble the Arsenal’s back-line.

Arsene Wenger will greet the return of defender Laurent Koscielny, who is set to return from injury after missing the first two games of the season. However he may still be without Arsenal’s number one goal keeper Wojciech Szcznesy who will have a fitness test to determine if he will play.

Liverpool’s new boys will have another tough test ahead of them, after an inspiring performance against Manchester City. However, it will have to be without Brazilian midfielder Lucas who has been sidelined for three months with a thigh injury. This should mean Nuri Sahin could start alongside the very impressive Joey Allen, who will look at putting in another man of the match performance against Arsenal.

Liverpool’s main concerns will be its defense, who have conceded five goals in two games thus far. This also hasn’t been helped, with the comical displays from Pepe Reina, who has been in ‘Massimo-Taibi-like’ form. Liverpool will have to be on high alert with Arsenal new boy Santi Cazorla’s movement and passing abilities, that has already earned him the ‘buy of the season’ tag. Not only will Liverpool have to be wary of Arsenal’s passing, they will have to deal with the uncharacteristic physicality that the Gunners squad has displayed so far this season.

Arsenal fans could get much more enjoyment out of this fixture as both teams will look forward to get goals and open the game up, creating more goal scoring opportunities. Despite Arsenal being away from home, they should be able to register their first goal of the season at Anfield. Claiming the full three points will not be an easy task, but Liverpool has shown weaknesses that Arsene Wenger will look to expose.

As for Liverpool, Luis Suarez has shown good form so far this season, but he has struggled to find the back of the net. In a mid-week Europa League match against Hearts, the Uruguayan had multiple chances on goal, but only converted one chance. His lack of vision to find his teammates in front of goal may start to frustrate them, so Suarez could be walking a fine line.

A meeting between these two is generally entertaining and with the amount of talent on display and with both looking for their first win, an open match with some goal scoring opportunities should be expected.